The growth of mobile device photography has exploded over the last decade. This is due to a variety of factors, including: the increased number of mobile devices that include a built-in camera, the increased number of owners of such devices, the convenience of not carrying a separate (usually larger) dedicated camera, and the increased quality of cameras built into mobile devices.
Another important factor contributing to the popularity of mobile device photography is the ability to quickly and easily share photographs through web-based social networks, as the mobile devices on which the pictures are being taken include internet access to those social networks. For example, mobile device users can take photographs of themselves and their friends when they are at an event, and can then immediately share those pictures with their online “followers” by posting those pictures to their social network, such as Facebook® or Instagram®, directly from their mobile device. Mobile device photographs are also shared through private communication applications, such as Multimedia Messaging Service (“MMS”) applications. In addition, certain private communication applications, such as Snapchat® and Idelete®, provide users with the ability to send photographs that are only viewable by the recipient for a limited period of time.